Head / Shower / Bathroom - tips, tricks, upgrades?

[ebbtide]

My Amazon review for the Voker vent filter.$47.99

7, 2019
Verified Purchase
In a world where nothing really works, I would have been happy with any improvement to my holding tank smell. But this filter worked 100%. Easy to install. I went from a toxic cloud that swept the dock killing every living thing, every time I flushed, to no smell whatsoever. I was worried at first that the vent was actually plugged by the filter. But confirmed by the slight breeze that air was escaping. It lasted almost exactly one year on my liveaboard boat. Just installed my second one. And, no more chemicals.

 

[Bacchus]

I could write a similar review for a $30 fish tank aerator that has worked well for about 5 seasons.
Get air into the tank and smell ceases.

My Amazon review for the Voker vent filter.$47.99

7, 2019
Verified Purchase
In a world where nothing really works, I would have been happy with any improvement to my holding tank smell. But this filter worked 100%. Easy to install. I went from a toxic cloud that swept the dock killing every living thing, every time I flushed, to no smell whatsoever. I was worried at first that the vent was actually plugged by the filter. But confirmed by the slight breeze that air was escaping. It lasted almost exactly one year on my liveaboard boat. Just installed my second one. And, no more chemicals.

 

[Westiculo]

I second the drain vs sump comment. Our shower is below waterline so can't run it directly out. Instead, we installed a regular drain to a shower box with a gulper pump from the shower box out. Installed a water witch 'float' sensor in the box to turn on the pump when it's full. Has worked for 2 years straight no clogs, no smell, and no gross sump in the shower.

 

[wpc691]

Both my forward shower and v-berth air handler condensate drain emptied into the forward bilge/sump which was drained by a bilge pump. It was always wet. I plumbed them both into a Whale Gulper IC manifold and pump. The manifold has a solid state sensor that turns the pump on when water rises in the manifold, then shuts off with a 15 second delay. Bilge is now bone dry, and pump has been completely problem free. Planning to install another to handle the aft shower and aft deck sink drain. [picture is rotated 90 deg clockwise]

 

[BruceK]

I could write a similar review for a $30 fish tank aerator that has worked well for about 5 seasons.
Get air into the tank and smell ceases.

Glad it works, makes sense that it would. Does the excess air escape via the vent?

 

[Comodave]

We had an 80 gallon holding tank in a previous boat that would knock you off the dock when we flushed a head. I tried a bunch of different chemicals and nothing worked. Talked to Peggie and she recommended a Groco Sweetank. I installed it and in 2 hours the smell was absolutely gone. Had that boat for another 7 years and never put a drop of chemicals in the holding tank and no smell. Yes the excess air just goes out the vent. I am going to put a Sweetank in our current boat this winter.

 

[Bacchus]

Glad it works, makes sense that it would. Does the excess air escape via the vent?

Yes but it's so lo flow it's hard to tell. It runs 24/7 and amp draw is also very lo
Cost about 1/10 a Sweettank so I figured not a big loss if it didn't work. If I needed to replace the pump every year it was still a bargain but running for 4-5 yrs now (short season in NE) w no issues.

 

[Andiamo2018]

If we ever have to remove our genny I'll probably install a sweettank / air pump type deal. But as it is I can barely reach the tank - just enough to tape on the Solo external monitor.

While I was installing that monitor I discovered that our shower sump needs to be cleaned more often than annually It isn't smelly but it looks awful - and probably does smell but the looks of it made me not want to stick my head down close to find out.

 

[dutch-barge]

well, we just remodeled our shower.
Had a PVC pan made with 4 inch sided and a lower drain opening in which we mounted the intelligence Whale shower pump. The drain has sensor and connects to the pump which is about 6 feet away , about 2 foor above the shower pan. For walls we used two standard shower panels which were made of this aluminum with a picture printed on them
For ventilation I first thought of making a humidity control fan with an Arduino, but while searching on ebay, I found a complete humidity control unit ( 12 or 24V) for only a few $$ more than JUST the sensor, connected the unit to a small computer fan and it turn on once the humidity goes above a set point

 

[MOJO]

Shower handheld head? Ours dribble a lot when you push the button to turn them off. Is there a brand that turns off entirely? We often use the handheld shower to rinse out the toilet bowl. Seems like it uses less water and gets the job done quickly. (Both of our heads can now be flushed without adding water.)

The best handheld showerhead is the Oxygenics - good pressure with minimal water use even with a low pressure pump. We love ours. See:
https://www.amazon.com/Oxygenics-White-Standard-26781-Sprayer/dp/B00F5MUB66/ref=sxin_5_osp129-d8ae4548_cov?ascsubtag=d8ae4548-19de-4c3a-acdd-488dc2e0118a&creativeASIN=B00F5MUB66&cv_ct_id=amzn1.osp.d8ae4548-19de-4c3a-acdd-488dc2e0118a&cv_ct_pg=search&cv_ct_wn=osp-search&hvadid=78065329455038&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=oxygenics+shower+head&linkCode=oas&pd_rd_i=B00F5MUB66&pd_rd_r=680fdf14-0d54-452e-a84f-974a46119c06&pd_rd_w=yK9IX&pd_rd_wg=XhUIt&pf_rd_p=53eff971-6e12-4016-9864-b6dfd929b2b3&pf_rd_r=V8PK6F2146SK8M3X08YS&qid=1570821627&tag=thedrive09-20
The Oxygenics comes with a push button shut off but it dribbles like all the rest. I've been told that this is a government requirement to avoid scalding from a pressure difference in the hot and cold water lines. If you turn the water off completely, the pressure in the hot water tank can push the cold water back down the pipe a little and when you turn the water back on you can get a blast of 100% hot water. I've found that to be the case occasionally, but the water isn't hot enough to scald me. So, I installed a valve to turn the water off completely without changing the hot/cold mix. Here's the one I use:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HSWPYIG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's plug and play with the hand held shower hose so easy to install.

If you keep your hot water scalding hot, a tempering/mixing valve installed at the hot water heater can solve the problem. Here's one for 1/2" water lines:
https://www.amazon.com/Thermostatic-Mixing-Connections-Stepless-Adjustment/dp/B00SYC1IV6/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=hot+water+tempering+valve&qid=1570822138&s=hi&sr=1-6

 

[rgano]

Think bidet fixture. I installed a non-electric unit on our trawler years ago. Reduces the paper requirement a lot.

 

[Comodave]

Our new Skandvik shower head turns off completely with the pause button and has really good spray.

 

[Boatcrazy]

We installed a "home-use" single handle shower control, attached an anti-scald valve to the water exit, and then attached the hose for the hand-held shower head. Doesn't leak or drip...when the handle is down, the water stops-even after 12 years use. And the gooseneck fitting attaches to the wall hanger, not the shower hear itself...so we can change shower heads easily. Our shower has a (course) grate at the drain...it catches most of the hair, etc, but we installed a small water strainer just before the pump. We need to clean that filter screen about every 3 months, or the pump won't drain the shower. But...it does a good job of protecting the pump (same pump now for 18 years!).

 

[Southern Boater]

.............when I have the engine out so I can replace the fuel tank. I will be able to much more easily access the area.......

Hi CD, I am keen to see, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, a thread involving the removal of an engine and fuel tank in an aft cabin boat like yours. With the amount of late 80's and early 90's boats with mild steel tanks and ageing engines, this would have to be an important factor to consider, cheers

 

[Comodave]

We are waiting to haul our boat now. We want it in the front of the barn so I will have easy access for carrying in the new tank and out with the old one, hopefully in one piece. So we have to wait til more boats get hauled and put in the barn. However I have installed the crane in the salon and am in the process of putting everything I can possibly think of that I will need over the winter on the boat now. Access is much easier now when I can walk from my garage to the dock in the back rather than climbing through the crowded barn and then up a 10’ ladder carrying the equipment and tools. I will start a thread when I actually get going on the project but I have some photos of the crane now. On the port side I used a 6x6 for the bottom and upright leg. On the starboard side there is a cabinet about 2” from the engine room opening so I made an upright out of 2x2 heavy wall tubing and some 3x3 and 2x3 angle and through bolted them to the deck beam. I have a 6x6 H beam for the cross member for the trolley to ride on. There will be some dimensional lumber for support from the deck down to the stringers.

 

[OldDan1943]

With the American Tug, the shower stall is purchased from a home supple store. The single handle shower faucet appears to be generic. The shower head is replaceable to your hearts content.

 

[Southern Boater]

We are waiting to haul our boat now. We want it in the front of the barn so I will have easy access for carrying in the new tank and out with the old one, hopefully in one piece. So we have to wait til more boats get hauled and put in the barn. However I have installed the crane in the salon and am in the process of putting everything I can possibly think of that I will need over the winter on the boat now. Access is much easier now when I can walk from my garage to the dock in the back rather than climbing through the crowded barn and then up a 10’ ladder carrying the equipment and tools. I will start a thread when I actually get going on the project but I have some photos of the crane now. On the port side I used a 6x6 for the bottom and upright leg. On the starboard side there is a cabinet about 2” from the engine room opening so I made an upright out of 2x2 heavy wall tubing and some 3x3 and 2x3 angle and through bolted them to the deck beam. I have a 6x6 H beam for the cross member for the trolley to ride on. There will be some dimensional lumber for support from the deck down to the stringers.

I don't want to drift this thread any more so will wait till you post your own thread, still very keen to see the process, looks like you have things well under control. Hope all goes well.

 

[dhays]

Yes but it's so lo flow it's hard to tell. It runs 24/7 and amp draw is also very lo
Cost about 1/10 a Sweettank so I figured not a big loss if it didn't work. If I needed to replace the pump every year it was still a bargain but running for 4-5 yrs now (short season in NE) w no issues.

I leave it running continuously when on the boat. When we are off the boat, I turn it off. I’m sure I could leave it running but eventually the pump will wear out.

When we return to the boat, I put some No-flex in the holding tank and then turn on the aerator. We do get a bit of a smell for a few minutes out of the vent then it disappears.

 

[FF]

"I like the idea of a temp mixing valve downstream of the tank to limit the temp at the ouLook for an anti scald valve tlets. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good model?"

Look for an anti scald valve , not a tempering valve.

IF there is not enough cold water to get the output temp desired the anti scald will shut down the hot water.

A tempering valve will not.

 

[CaptTom]

I have an inexpensive shut-off valve from Amazon on each shower fixture (home and boat) No dribbling when you shut it off to soap up!

I also installed a thermostatic mixing valve. As FF said, you need to be sure it's not the kind which just introduces a certain amount of cold water into the hot water stream. That would only work if the hot and cold were both always the same temperature. Not likely on a boat.

Back to the original question: My best recent upgrade was to add a paper towel dispenser in each head. You always seem to need paper towels for something on a boat, and having to run to the galley each time was a pain. Now they're always handy.

 

[FlyWright]

Back to the original question: My best recent upgrade was to add a paper towel dispenser in each head. You always seem to need paper towels for something on a boat, and having to run to the galley each time was a pain. Now they're always handy.

Just don't let a guest toss a paper towel into the head. DAMHIK...

 

[OldDan1943]

Just don't let a guest toss a paper towel into the head. DAMHIK...

And that young man, is why I don't have a paper towel dispenser in my head.

 

[CaptTom]

I live in a world where most people are at least familiar with the constraints of a septic system, so I haven't run into that problem with MY guests...yet.

But you both make a very good point. I may have to remove the roll when guests of unknown background are aboard.

 

[FlyWright]

I live in a world where most people are at least familiar with the constraints of a septic system, so I haven't run into that problem with MY guests...yet.

But you both make a very good point. I may have to remove the roll when guests of unknown background are aboard.

It might possibly save you 30-45 minutes of disgusting maintenance when you least want to perform it.

 

[Turning Point]

More venting is great. However, you may find that with the additional vent you may not need the Groco Sweetank. Likewise, if you did install the Groco Sweetank you likely wouldn’t need the extra vent.

FWIW, I rolled my own holding tank aerator using a 12v bait tank aerator and a bit of pvp piping. The whole project was about $50 or about 1/7th the cost of the Groco.

I’m about to build a DIY version of a sweettank and wonder about your piping/bubbler solution? The smaller the hole in my tank, the better! I’d planned on using an aquarium pump but will research the bait tank aerator.
Thx in advance.
Duncan